Blokes Club a hit for men with dementia

A free Blokes Club where men with dementia can go to relax and have fun is proving so popular that membership is almost full.

Based at St Andrews in Hamilton, the Blokes Club is run by Enliven Day Services with assistance from volunteers. Membership is limited to 12 people at any one time.

A similar programme called the Women’s Circle is aimed at women with dementia.

Enliven General Manager Wendy Hoskin says the Blokes Club is a great example of how early support and advice for someone living with dementia can not only reduce the distress around a dementia diagnosis, but preserve the person living with dementia’s quality of life for longer in their own home.

“The Club is proving so popular, that membership is full most of the time, although we do have a vacancy at the moment.

“There is always afternoon tea and a hot meal cooked on-site, but club activities vary depending on the members' choices on the day. Members love a game of mini-golf, ten-pin bowling, hacky-sack, target bowls or croquet. Sometimes, they also play memory games or do crafts like making Valentine’s Day cards or taking photos to frame for gifts,” she says.

“Occasional outings to Hamilton Lake to have fish and chips or a van drive with a stop for ice-creams are popular. Members also love regular long walks not far from the Waikato River.”

Wendy says a dementia diagnosis can be managed at home and does not necessarily mean that the person needs to go into full-time care especially if the person and their caregiver receive the right support at the right time.

“Many Blokes Club members also go to our Enliven Day Service. Over time, their partners have got to know each other and developed a supportive community that helps out if someone has had a bad day.”

Members get picked up from home at 1.00pm and are dropped back between 6.30pm and 7.30pm.

The Women’s Circle is run by the same Enliven team during the day from 9.00am to 3.00pm. Its members enjoy going on more outings than the Blokes Club to places such as the Hamilton Gardens, the museum or shopping.

Wendy says they love long walks and playing the same games as the Blokes Club, although they enjoy doing more painting, crafting and helping to prepare lunch.

Membership to the both the Blokes Club and Women’s Circle is free if you have a dementia diagnosis and a referral from a Needs Assessment and Service Coordination team (NASC). The programmes are also open to private paying clients.

For more information about the Blokes Club or the Women’s Circle or Enliven Waikato and Coromandel Day Services, phone 0800 373 654.